I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Friends, rule number one this holiday is to not talk politics. The last thing you want is to have Uncle Pete and Cousin Chuck at each other’s throats with the turkey carving knife. Enjoy the holiday and enjoy the company of your family!

Before I continue my theme of addressing the results of the 2016 election, I would like to respond to a bill that many of you have contacted my office about – the serialization of handgun ammunition. I oppose the bill for three reasons: 1) Only law abiding citizens would be hurt by the law. Criminals would simply buy ammunition from other states or steal ammunition from upstanding citizens. 2) The bill would cause ammunition prices to skyrocket. 3) I believe the bill to be “crony-capitalist” in nature. One company stands to make millions from the bill, and that doesn’t sit well with me. I am not voting for the bill.

During the final stretch of the Presidential campaign the Clinton team advocated unity after the election. Many believe this is because she was convinced she was going to win in a landslide. But even after her surprise defeat, the very next day she called for unity during her concession speech. She did not mention her lead in the popular vote, but she spoke of the need to come together and wish the next President of the United States the best. With her concession speech the 2016 elections came to a close.

If you will allow me, I would like to share some of my thoughts on President-elect Trump’s victory. But first, on this Veteran’s Day I would like to thank all veterans who are fighting or who have fought for our country to give us the right to vote and allow us to make this the greatest country on earth. Secondly, I would like to thank the nearly 38,000 of you who voted for me. Though I ran unopposed, the fact that 85% of the district chose to fill in the circle for me was extremely humbling. I am forever grateful and it is an honor and privilege to represent you in Springfield.

All of you who read my column know that I did not weigh in on the top of ticket or really any of the ticket for that matter. It is my belief that as your State Representative, I’m here to represent you and not to tell you how to vote.

Speaking of telling you how to vote – never underestimate the power of a people who refuse to be told what to do or how to think. That’s a big part of what happened last Tuesday. Donald Trump is an imperfect vessel, and we all knew it, but what he stood for was so much bigger than himself. Please allow me to explain.

So it finally happened. The Chicago Cubs overcame the longest drought of any American professional sports franchise. After 108 years, the Cubs are winners once again. 1908, the year the Cubs last won the World Series was the year that Henry Ford completed production on the first Model T.

No matter what happens this year, we can all point to one day where we just lived in the moment. Our local team did something that made us all enjoy life just a little bit more for at least one day. Everything else was put on the back burner, and we all sang “Go Cubs Go.”

As I write this column, we are just days from the election. Some of you may be reading this before the votes are tabulated, and some of you may see this afterward. It doesn’t matter when you are reading this, because the challenge for all of us is as simple as it is straightforward – let’s just be respectful.